Looking to get into this field!

[Frank78]

Hi all.

Just wanted to introduce myself. I've just quit a job I had in market research (hated it) and have realised I'm craving a more creative career - hence me joining you here. I believe I'm a good amateur photographer and my friends have always liked my photos and said I have a good eye for composition. Recently I have I have been having a play with some footage from an old 3CCD 1080i Panasonic camcorder and have been editing it using Adobe Premiere Pro. It's been great fun (though you'd probably cringe at the output lol).

My question is this - I was wondering if I could gain some experience in anyone's company here? I'd like to see "how it's done", but would obviously be keen to "have a go" at the same time. I'm willing to get stuck in and help out however I can.

I'm in the fortunate position of having some savings with which I'm intending to kit myself out with some professional DSLR/video gear. For example I'm thinking about buying something like a Canon 5d Mk2 or a Canon XF100 to get me started. I would be willing to use it for your purposes if that was at all useful. (Some buying advice wouldn't go amiss whilst we are at it but that's probably best done elsewhere I appreciate!)

I live in Birmingham so the West Midlands area would be handy, but could do a short stint in London staying at my brother's. I drive so have some flexibility.


Frank

[Potts]

HI Frank,

I wouldn't recommend going out and buying a 5d first i mean your looking at 3 grandish, there are more suitable cameras for starting out i (A Nicon d90 is prob a better starting point if you want to work with a dslr) with and just making films or stings or anything, is prob the best was to get stuck in also it would be alot more fun and you would have a little reel to send out to people. You will also know if you enjoy it !

[vidmanners]

Join a local video/filmmaking club...lots of like-minded folk and you get to see gear in action BEFORE spending out "if only..."
Expensive gear doesn't mean good films, but your photo experience will be useful for lighting and positioning action, close-ups and so on; yet handling folk (esp actors) and getting the whole thing shot is something best learnt in a club.
Canon DSLR appear the standard for Weddings just now, but camcorders have other advantages over sheer definition and low-light performance. . . In particular audio is better handled on pro-sumer gear for about the same money.

Your Pana-camcorder should be good for a while yet, I'd stick with it and ask for buying advice - plenty of that wherever you go.
You need to get to grips with Editing and so on, this too is much easier in a club setting; but take time to learn from the others as the newcomer.


Don't know the Nikon range, but when I considered one (to take my existing Nikon lenses) the video features/£ were not good....I finished with a NEX5 still-camera with HD + a few bits of kit, bought, made and adapted. I'd like a camcorder with XLR inputs, but - - -
Whatever SLR you buy, it will be with you for a while, due to make-specific mounts. Even now the NEX5 has few lenses (and some expensive ones), but I bought a manual adaptor for N-AI so that's me sorted for a while. The long zoom attaches tripod and the camera to the lens. Sounds daft, but you need a balanced rig....and the zoom is too heavy any other way. For stills it doesn't matter as your spare hand supports it. To make films a 3:1 zoom is quite useful enough.
Try to resist spending money, there's always a better camera...
BTW look after that 3CCD - very useful when filming things rotating . . . like wheels, propellers, etc....

Good luck.